Chapter 21

Krarshe trudged over the dry, barren landscape alongside his party. The desolate land was just a day's walk north of the main road to Gagerith, where the merchant they'd hitched a ride with dropped them off. He'd heard the superstitious rumors about the region in the caravans he'd travelled with, how it was "bad luck" and all, but he hadn't anticipated how off-putting it would be to see the complete lack of any greenery or vegetation.

Despite the repeated warnings from their ride, and having to travel on foot for the last day, the ride was worth its cost. The whole trip took just shy of a quarter-cycle, and would likely result in them being back before Tevaona began.

Krarshe looked across this grey, lifeless world he'd suddenly found himself in, their destination finally in sight. A large, circular stone structure lay before them, surprisingly flat and strangely level in height.

"Ruin go down. Into ground," Sverre explained as they approached. Apparently, Krarshe's thoughts were written all over his face. "Set gear here. Case need run." He slung his rucksack off his back and onto the ground beside a tree. Much like the rest of the land, it was grey, like it had been burned to ash, and without a single leaf upon it.

"Umm... Couldn't someone take it?" Lycia asked.

"No one comes out here, really," Tomas explained, tossing his pack next to Sverre's. "Your ability to move in closed spaces is paramount. I wouldn't leave any valuables though, just in case. Oh, and take some rations." He patted the small pouch on his belt. "We shouldn't need to sleep in there, but having food and water could be useful."

Lycia seemed unconvinced but followed everyone's example.

Krarshe put down his pack with the others. A wave of nervousness washed over him as he looked toward the entrance, the jagged, crumbling stones of the archway gaping like the jaws of a great beast. I guess I'm more nervous than I thought, he reasoned. Being underground... Not really where I feel at home.

Convinced by his reasoning, he shook off his concerns and followed everyone into the ruins.

"Okay. Tomas, take lead. Watch for trap and hidden door."

Tomas mimicked the city guards, putting his fist in front of his chest in salute to Sverre. "Yes, sir!"

"Hmm... Which want support vanguard with Tomas, and which illuminate?" Sverre asked, looking at Krarshe and Lycia.

"... I'll be in front with Tomas," Krarshe volunteered.

"I pray we don't need your support. Though, I suppose being blinded by your light spell wouldn't be good either," teased Lycia.

"I can control my magic pretty well now..."

Krarshe didn't say anything in response to her incredulous look.

"Then, Lycia, illuminate path and Celine stay with her. I be rearguard."

"Wouldn't it make sense to have you in front with Tomas?" Krarshe asked. He didn't mind being the one to shield Lycia from anything ahead of them, but it still seemed odd for a frontline combatant to be in the rear.

Sverre shook his head. "Enemy from front easier to fight. Surprise attack from rear, not easy. Let me handle."

His curiosity sated, Krarshe nodded and got in formation.

Lycia held up her hand. "Chiian gra."

A ball of light appeared floating above her palm, its light illuminating the walls of the entryway. With Tomas and Krarshe leading, followed by Lycia and Celine, and Sverre watching their backs, they entered.

The hall was quiet. The only sound was their boots on the stone floor. There didn't appear to be anything inside, just an empty hallway. The stonework was surprisingly smooth, considering how weathered the outside seemed. The air was dry, stale, and dusty, almost enough to choke upon.

Their trek continued silently. Everyone was on high alert, unsure what to expect. Finally, Krarshe quietly noted, "This hallway is surprisingly clean."

The party stopped and looked directly at him.

"What? Am I wrong?"

"... No. I actually noticed that too," Lycia said after a pause.

Sverre chuckled. "Not notice?"

Lycia and Krarshe turned to him, confused. He simply gestured.

In the corner of the hallway, barely visible with the light, was a puddle. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to have some mass and was moving.

"Oh, there's slimes in here?" she asked.

Sverre nodded. "That why floor smooth and clean." He relaxed. "And sign that no strong monster nearby."

Krarshe breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"There could still be traps though," Tomas cautioned, his attention still keenly on the floor ahead. "I wouldn't go prancing down the hallway just yet."

"Not my intention..."

"It's fine, Karshe, we won't judge you for skipping merrily down the hall," the rogue said with a smirk.

"Oh, we've reached the first staircase," Celine said.

Looking ahead, dimly lit by Lycia's spell, there did appear to be a doorway. How she knew it was stairs, Krarshe wasn't sure.

Her claims were justified. The stone staircase went down, taking them deeper underground. The resulting corridor was much the same, though: clean, smooth stones with occasional slimes milling about.

The one thing Krarshe noticed on this level, however, was the markings on the walls. Perhaps they were there on the first floor and he just hadn't noticed in his vigilance, but it was obvious right away now that there were pictures, carvings, etched upon the stone architecture.

Some of the carvings appeared to be some sort of mystifying text or symbols, but weren't from any language he'd ever encountered. The more artistic carvings depicted seemingly innocuous scenes: people gathered in celebrations, victories over indistinct creatures, royal ceremonies. Those were his best guesses, at least. It appeared the slimes had eaten away and worn down many of them, making it hard to make sense of what was going on in the picture.

Despite the clear artistic skills and benign, or even exuberant, scenes, something about it felt strange. He wasn't sure if it was something in the pictures themselves or the strange, empty, lonely place they were in, but it was unsettling. He consciously acknowledged that it could have been his uneasiness from being underground, but looking at the images definitely deepened this feeling.

This continued for some time, reaching a staircase, going deeper, finding yet another empty hallway. Before long, the mood in the party had shifted. Celine and Lycia had started their usual chitchat. Sverre still had his sword out, but it was now resting on his broad shoulders, his posture now more of a casual walk. Tomas remained focused for the most part, though his posture had relaxed as well. It felt more and more like Tomas' assessment of the request's danger level was correct.

Lycia turned around. "Sverre."

"Hmm?"

"Do you know what these ruins were used for?"

"Used for?"

She nodded.

"Lycia and I were just noting the walls," Celine explained. "They seem awfully intricate for some nameless ruins or fortification. But I had no idea what it was."

Sverre thought for a moment. "Do not know."

"I'm not sure anyone does," Tomas added, turning around to face the party for the first time since they entered. "I've heard quite a few rumors, but none with any credibility."

"It does seem odd, though. Especially where it is, so close to the old capitol," Lycia said.

"Ugh, don't remind me. It's unsettling," Celine said, clutching her shoulders as she shivered.

"She's afraid of ghosts."

"Tomas! I swear to Teva I'm not."

"You shouldn't lie to Teva. She'll smite you," Tomas teased.

Celine scoffed with disgust. "I'm not, and she won't!"

Krarshe rolled his eyes as he listened to them bicker and tease, as always. His brow furrowed when his gaze fell upon the walls again. The once pristine walls were no longer such. They were now decorated with webbing and scratch marks, hiding the carvings in spots. He noted the floors, too, were uneven and littered with... something. He wasn't sure what. When was the last slime he saw?

"Umm... Shouldn't you be looking for traps?" Krarshe asked, refocusing the group.

"Ha... Right, right. On it." Tomas returned to walking, facing forward.

"Yes, focus," Sverre said to the group. "Look like possible arachne nest." He scraped some webbing from the wall with the tip of his greatsword. "Though, maybe old nest. Odd they not defend nest by now."

Lycia groaned. "Why'd it have to be arachne..." she muttered under her breath.

Collectively, they focused, again attentive to their surroundings. Though they never truly returned to the rigidity they had upon entering the ruins, safety was once again of utmost importance.

The journey down continued its uneventful nature, and it wasn't until about the tenth floor that Krarshe noticed the carvings again. They were harder to see, what with the webbing getting thicker and thicker, but the images had changed. The scenes now depicted what appeared normal, but almost with a sinister overtone. The celebrations still seemed as such, but it almost felt more like an uprising. Victories, like a darker presence loomed over them, reaching out its claws from the darkness. Royal ceremonies, as if executions.

He looked around at the party. No one else seemed to take note. He swallowed hard, trying his best to stomach his anxiety. Better to not distract them.

Down but another few floors, the party's mood was back to where it had been. Sverre, Celine, and Lycia talking as though they were leisurely at the tavern. Tomas, once again neglecting his task, walked backwards while pestering Krarshe.

"You never mentioned how your... outing went the other day," Tomas said, pressing Krarshe.

"You're right. And I intend to keep it that way. Besides, shouldn't you be watching the way ahead?"

"Oh, come now. I'm the one who shared that spot with you. And, to your point, I AM scouting. Don't you know who I am? I'm a master of scouting!"

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "If you say so. And I know you told me about that spot. But I'm still not divulging anything," Krarshe said flatly. "Also, she knew you two were there."

"Wha-?! No, that can't be true. I'm stealthy by nature! I'm a master!"

"And the Gaer that was with you?"

Tomas stopped and pondered it for a second. "Okay. Maybe she noticed Sverre."

"And by extension, you."

"Ugh." He resumed his casual stroll. "Now, what happened at Stormbridge?"

"I told you, I'm not saying. Lycia... wouldn't like it if I said it..."

"Ooh?" Tomas spun around to face him again. "Now you've GOT to tell me."

"No."

"Aww, you're no fun..." Tomas turned on his heels. But, rather than forward, he did a full turn. This time, he was facing the girls and Sverre as he walked backwards. "Maybe I'll just ask her directly..." he said, giving Krarshe a look and a mischievous smile.

Krarshe felt his heart jump. He didn't want Tomas to know what happened but wanted even less to know what Lycia thought of the... incident. "Fine, fine. I'll tell-"

The only warning was the brief grinding of stone and a low, dull thud.

Spears shot up from the floor in front of him, less than a foot's length from his face. Krarshe froze.

But, not from the scare of how narrowly he'd avoided the trap.

Before him, Tomas hung, impaled by a spear from hip to head, the spear tip coming out the side of his neck.

Krarshe stood there in shock, unable to process what he was seeing, unable to accept it as real. It couldn't be.

Tomas choked and sputtered on blood, spraying a few specks of the red, viscous fluid onto Krarshe's face. The sensation of it brought the realness of it all crashing down upon him.

Tomas' eyes drifted away from Krarshe to the rest of the party. To Celine.

Krarshe heard a quiet metal clink before a piercing scream erupted from behind him and echoed down the stone hallway. Katia's hands clawed at her face as it contorted in horror. Lycia was still in shock.

In a panic, Sverre charged forward, shoving Krarshe aside. He attempted to manipulate the spears, looking desperately for a way to retract the trap all while Celine screamed for him to save Tomas.

Krarshe watched as Tomas' sputtering gradually slowed and his eyes, still fixated on Celine, glazed over. As the realization of what transpired set in, Krarshe saw a small glimmer on the floor.

A small, circular, golden glimmer.

"... He... gone..." Sverre said somberly.

"I can save him!" Celine screeched.

"No, he-"

"GET HIM DOWN!"

"Celine..." Lycia said, approaching her friend.

Celine threw her staff aside and desperately started pulling at the spears. "Get him down!" "I can still save him!" She repeated the same two lines over and over as she struggled in vain, gradually growing quieter before it became unintelligible through her sobbing.

Everyone watched her quietly as she bawled and wailed.

The silence, however, was soon broken by another screech. This time, it was clearly inhuman.

Sverre, Lycia, and Krarshe quickly braced themselves, shielding the still distraught cleric.

From behind, a swarm of these half-spider, half-human monsters descended upon them, brandishing rusty blades and spears.

"Arachne!" Sverre cried. "Must run!"

Lycia fired off a fiery sphere at them, taking one out, but the mass was undeterred. The swarm was descending upon them at an unbelievable speed.

"Where'd they all come from?!" Lycia exclaimed.

"Miss hidden pass!" Sverre said. "Come, must run!" he shouted to Celine.

"B-but-"

"No! He dead! Run!" Sverre said. Without waiting for a response, he picked up Celine and wormed his way through the spears.

Lycia took off after them, nimbly making it through the trap.

Krarshe followed suit. He looked back to see the arachne lower the trap. A few took Tomas' corpse, but the rest continued the chase.

With the uneven floors slowing their escape, it was clear they weren't going to make it out of this without a fight.

Just as he started trying to find a spell he could use without destroying the structure and trapping them inside, he heard a rumbling ahead. He turned to see Sverre, Celine, and Lycia falling, the floor giving way as though a great maw swallowing them.

He felt the floor give way under his own feet. He turned and reached for something to grab onto, but found nothing.

The last thing he saw was the horde of arachne watching him fall into the abyss.